Arab Environment Forum Discusses Technology Use and Food Security Enhancement in Cairo with Kuwaiti Participation

Cairo, September 29 (KUNA) -- The fifth session of the Arab Environment Forum for 2026 commenced today, Tuesday, with the participation of the State of Kuwait, represented by the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, to discuss several key themes, including leveraging innovation and technology to address the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of pastoral systems and value chains, and their role in supporting rural livelihoods and enhancing food security.

Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of the Environment and Meteorology Affairs Department at the Arab League, stated at the forum, attended by representatives from various Arab countries and regional and international organizations, that pastures cover between 70 and 80 percent of the total land area in the Arab region. They serve as a source of livelihood for millions of herders and livestock breeders, constitute a fundamental pillar of food security, and provide a habitat for biodiversity and genetic resources of crops in arid lands.

Fathallah emphasized that the Arab Environment Forum has become an established Arab platform for dialogue among policymakers, experts, and relevant communities. He noted that previous sessions were hosted in Cairo, Muscat, Riyadh, and Nouakchott, achieving successes in supporting joint Arab environmental efforts.

He explained that the theme of the fifth session, "Sustainable Pastures to Enhance Resilience," reflects the increasing pressures facing pastures in the Arab region, primarily climate change, drought waves, sand and dust storms, urban expansion, weak governance frameworks, and the decline of traditional participatory systems.

He considered these factors as contributing to the accelerated degradation of pastures and threatening the livelihoods of associated communities, asserting that viewing pastures as marginal or barren lands is no longer acceptable from an economic perspective. He added that pastures represent productive ecological, social, and economic systems, and that investment in them yields multiple returns for food security, climate resilience, and social stability in rural and remote areas.

He pointed out the degradation of pastures and its associated economic and social costs to countries and communities, including loss of productivity, accelerated rural-to-urban migration, and a widening food gap. In this regard, he called for comprehensive and participatory governance that protects herders' rights, secures land tenure, and recognizes pastoral mobility as a strategy for adapting to climate change.

He also called for revitalizing and developing traditional systems, primarily the "Hima" system, as an authentic Arab model of community-based resource management that can be integrated with modern management tools and nature-based solutions. He stressed the importance of leveraging innovation and data, ranging from remote sensing and geographic information systems to artificial intelligence, to monitor pasture degradation and provide early warning of droughts.

He affirmed the necessity of adopting a nexus approach linking water, energy, food, and ecosystems, and developing pastoral value chains to ensure the inclusion of women and youth, as well as bridging the financing gap by shifting from fragmented short-term projects to large-scale investment programs involving international financing institutions and the private sector.

He noted that the forum is an extension of a continuous Arab and international track, based on the orientations and decisions of the Arab Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs, particularly its 36th session held in Nouakchott in October 2025. He added that the forum also builds on the outcomes of the Regional Conference for the Launch of the International Year of Pastoralists and Pastoralism, held in Tunisia earlier this year, and the Regional Statement for the Near East and North Africa, which the Arab League contributed to drafting and adopting within the Regional Alliance for Pastoralists and Pastoralism.

He pointed out that the forum coincides with the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which has placed land and pasture restoration and enhancing resilience to drought among the priorities of international action.

He stressed that sustainable solutions can only be achieved through the active participation of traditional knowledge holders and rights holders, clarifying that the current session places special importance on amplifying the voices of herders, local communities, women, and youth, alongside governments, experts, and international organizations.

In conclusion of his speech, he expressed hope for rich discussions and practical outcomes that contribute to preserving pastures, enhancing community resilience, and building healthy pastoral systems for a more sustainable future for the Arab region.

The two-day forum is organized by the Arab League, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Arab Center for the Study of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development.

The forum focuses on discussing several key themes, including comprehensive and participatory governance, legal frameworks to protect herders' rights, and the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of pastoral systems and value chains. It also covers leveraging innovation, technology, and data in the sustainable management of pastures, and nature-based solutions for their restoration and resilience enhancement.

Furthermore, it examines the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of pastoral systems and value chains, and their role in supporting rural livelihoods, enhancing food security and nutrition, and ensuring the sustainability of Arab food systems while guaranteeing the economic and social inclusion of women and youth.

The Public Authority for Environmental Affairs is participating in the forum, represented by its officials Talal Al-Ali and Mustafa Al-Zuhair.

The opening session of the forum featured a documentary film on the International Year of Pastoralists and Pastoralism and a presentation by the FAO on pastures and the forum. (End) M.M. / T.M.A